car importation business

[crankedup]

I am intent on purchasing a vehicle from a Company based in South Africa. Spotted the advert several weeks ago after a Google search threw it up. Contacted the Company via there web site and have been in communication via email since. Got to the stage of purchase whereby they have sent me an invoice for the purchase, they look after all the shipping and legal export requirements. I will need to register the vehicle once it’s in the U.K.

I have searched for any bad news about the selling dealership and found nothing untoward.
They do offer credit card facilities for payment but this will cost me an additional 5.5% of the purchase cost. I’m tempted to pay by cash transfer to save myself that 5.5% but it’s the first time I have purchased directly from abroad.

My question is how can I be 100% confident that this is not an elaborate scam?

[veevee]

If the car is £10k+, just spend the £550 on flights and take yourself to SA for a couple of days.

[Muzzer79]

If it's a reasonably serious amount of money to you, get on a plane and go there.

The idea of laying out thousands in a cash transfer, on a car you've never seen, to a dealer you've communicated with only online, in a foreign country raises more alarm bells than......an alarm bell factory.

Would you buy a car unseen and pay with a cash transfer before it's shipped to you from a UK supplier? I sure as hell wouldn't.....